Down Home Ranch

Over twenty-five years ago Down Home Ranch was 217 acres of mesquite, fire ants, and falling-down fences, bought in the hopes that it would one day become a working ranch for adults with disabilities. With hard work and a lot of help from our friends--individuals, churches, businesses, foundations, service clubs and others--we now have 80 full and part-time employees--32 of whom have Down syndrome, autism, TBI or another condition--running a 410 acre, entrepreneurial farm and ranch, practicing regenerative agriculture on the Post Oak Savannah of Central Texas.

We have 2 barns, 11 greenhouses, 9 homes, a Swim and Fitness Center, 3 wells, 7 ponds, fish, cattle, donkeys, chickens, horses and lots of wildlife.

In the past year, the Ranch began a deliberate move away from work centered in a program setting to work centered around the real-life needs of the Ranch: caring for livestock, tending plants in the gardens and greenhouses, cooking meals, repair and maintenance on Ranch vehicles and Rancher golf carts, maintaining facilities for retreats, and all of the daily jobs that keep this place humming.

Currently Ranchers in the Real Life Work Program are working as Carpenter's Assistants, Mechanic's Helpers, Clean Team Members and Kitchen Aides, and Office Assistants. Some of our Ranchers also work on our Production Team and create all of the beautiful all occasion cards, hand-crafted jewelry, household items and much more that we sell in our gift shop.

Everyone has dreams and goals. Not everyone has the means to achieve those goals without a little help. State funding pays only for our Ranchers' basic living costs. To ensure that they enjoy a great quality-of-life we rely on the help of friends like you, who make that good life possible by providing goods, services, and charitable dollars to make up the difference.